| Nickname | the Accies[1] | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1904 | |
| Dissolved | 1907 | |
| Ground | Newton Lodge Park | |
| Match Secretary | A. J. Gray | |
The club was formed in 1904 as an amateur side made up solely of players fromAyr.[2] Despite its amateur status - and the presence of another amateur club in the town (Ayr Parkhouse) - the Academicals promptly joined theScottish Football Association,[3] and entered theScottish Qualifying Cup,Ayrshire Cup, and Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Football League for 1904–05.
The league competition wound up before completing its fixtures, and was not renewed for 1905–06, leaving the Academicals without a league competition. The only competitive win the Academicals had in its first season was a 5–1 win overMaybole in the Ayrshire League.[4]
Indeed, the club never won a match in the Ayrshire Cup, but it did win through to the third round of the Qualifying Cup in 1905–06, thanks to a 4–0 win overVale of Carrick[5] (Vale's Dunlop being suspended for kicking an Accie)[6] and a 6–0 win overCartvale in a second replay in the second round; the Accies persuaded Cartvale to play the second replay in Ayr rather than on neutral territory.[7] The club lost 3–1 at home to eventual Qualifying Cup finalistsBeith in the third, a tie in which the winners qualified for theScottish Cup itself; Andrew Gray gave the Accies the lead, but the professionals' superior stamina won out.[8]
Also in 1905–06 the club was in the play-off match to determine the winner of theNorth Ayrshire Cup, albeit there were only 5 teams remaining in the competition.[9] The club heldHurlford to a draw in the final, but Hurlford seem to have won the replay, as in June Hurlford was proclaimed champion.[10]
With bothAyr F.C. and Ayr Parkhouse both around the fringes of theScottish Football League, the Academicals were unable to generate much interest, and although it was drawn to faceLanemark in the 1907–08 Qualifying Cup, the club was "looked on as being defunct" and withdrew.[11] After a season of inactivity the club was thrown off the Scottish FA membership roll in August 1908.[12]
The club played in white.[13]
The club played at the cricket ground on Newton Lodge.[14]
